^better feel on the ski. you can get around easier. better for carving and that sort of stuff. plus it looks steezier. tanner is 5'6" and uses 181 a lot. supposedly last year he had the 181 AR5 with his T-Hall graphic on it for pipe.

go bigger... im 5"10 and the 180's could even be bigger.. so for you it wood be perfect... and for the guy above my post the advantages are more stablity. you can flex it farther back which makes for easier butters and presses.. and in general i just find bigger skis just more fun to ride and they actually look for styley to sinceits easier to grab.